A Little Pain
by maidenstage
Summary: Set before the GMG: Grief was never a stranger to her, yet she found no comfort while battling it alone. Somehow with him, it was easier to see a brighter possibility.


This is another drabble based off the prompt: "With you." (Gotta love vague prompts eh?)  
I have no idea where this inspiration came from (and I don't strongly ship this but I guess it just made sense to me and I know a lot of people do) so it probably will look a little weird. Maybe.  
Anyways, here's a thing. (Also I'm sorry this took months to write- let it be known that I am trash for it lmao :') )

Eight months had passed since her father had left this plane, and the grief still nestled against her heart, squeezing a tight reminder of the loss she suffered. Added to the seven years locked in a protective sleep, it was ever a wonder that she, let alone the rest of the survivor's of the Tenrou incident, managed to cope. There were days where Lucy woke crying, her eyes puffy and swollen from unchecked sorrow from the defenselessness of sleep, for while reality dulled her woe with activity of her living as a mage, her dreams interwove with her memory, tearing the seams that were desperately sown together.

Her relationship with her father was never a concern to her sadness; it held no discrimination when the feeling of loss ate away the happiness that once glowed inside the key mage. The dark ache had not been all that noticeable until after she had stumbled upon the letters he had sent for her birthday in the seven years since she, as well as the rest of the core members of Fairy Tail, had disappeared.

The first time she had read the letters, it ignited a natural response, her eyes quickly brimming with tears. And yet since then, her nights had left her restless and fatigued. It was surely noticed by the rest, for she could swear their hushed tones and worried glances in her direction were a loud giveaway of their unvoiced concern. Respect for her privacy was what kept anyone from saying anything, yet Lucy knew eventually she would have to speak up.

The trouble was, she wasn't sure talking about the lost years without her father would help.

Nor could they really understand- with the regal life she had lived and the 'breeding' to becoming a sophisticated lady of the Heartfilia house, her memories of her father weren't exactly the best.

Yet it never diminished the fact that Lucy still cared for her father with all her heart, and the years that she had spent trapped on Tenrou, she never had the chance to tell him that she loved him. That despite the misgivings their tentative relationship held, Jude Heartfilia was the only family she had left.

 _I miss you daddy..._

Such musings drifted often within the recesses of her thoughts, never quite offering the comfort required, yet it never failed to evoke the dull echo of pain to resonate within her chest.

Her hand rose to settle between her breasts, the action meant to stifle the low throb threatening to spill out. Instead it welled from her eyes, the gathering of tears a hard thing for her to resist.

For the past few days she had stopped visiting the guild, the effort of simply getting out of bed felt to strenuous for the blonde. Despite the assured excuses given to her guildmates of feeling ill (which was not all that far from the truth) and that a few days rest would cure her of her affliction, the mage knew that grief was a slow disease to cure.

She had managed enough energy to rise up from the covers and lean against the cool glass of her window, observing the life outside her quiet apartment while time stood still where she sat.

Her fixation was broken when among the sea of nomads, a familiar boy with blush colored tresses and white scarf suddenly filled her view, inquisitive sage hues colliding with her eyes of earth. They stared for what seemed to be an unfathomable amount of time, the distraction earning enough energy for Lucy to twitch her lips in a small smile and a delicate wave of greeting to the boy outside her window standing on the street.

The boy merely stared for a few beats before something changed in his expression- something she wasn't quite fast enough to catch, before he suddenly lifted his hands and cupped them around his mouth.

" _Luce-!_ "

Lucy jerked, shocked at the familiarity of the tone- or more, because she had _forgotten_ the last time her name had ever been spoken in such a way. Normally it was with mute politeness or weary concern, but not with him.

Before she had time to respond, Natsu had scaled the wall leading up to her window, his face brought close to the glass with a delighted smile. "Hey Lucy!" His voice boomed despite the muffle of glass separating them. "Think you can let me in?"

Somehow, his voice compelled little resistance to his innocuous request, though she would later ponder on why. Now with present company, the state of her appearance dawned on her, bringing an embarrassed flush to spread her cheeks and down her neck- not to mention that she only wore a rather indecent ensemble during her last few catnaps. The sheer white material of her tank top covered her torso decently, given her size, as well as cover her shapely thighs, yet these things went unnoticed by the dragon slayer that hopped off the ledge of her window and stood before her with an ambiguous look of incredulity crossing his features.

"The guild's worried about you."

Of course she knew this, and had expected that he would be the deliverer of such news. He seemed to always be the voice of Fairy Tail, always outspoken and headstrong when it came to the guild's affairs, including member's that were sick. Yet it didn't make it easy for the blonde to summon the will for a plausible excuse.

"Its just this cold is all," was all she said. "I'll be better soon."

 _I hope._

A moment of silence settled between them as Lucy began to busy herself by slowly heading towards the kitchen, knowing that if she didn't offer anything soon, the dragonslayer would otherwise help himself to her entire stock of food. It would leave her hungry for awhile, and rent would be due soon...

As she tittered around her kitchen, wild thoughts suddenly flooded her mind as she thought _oh no did her hair look ratty?_ And also the gravity of her un-hygienic state nearly brought Lucy to blanch- she should have _showered_ and changed at least before inviting the fire mage inside- he could probably smell how grimy and gross she felt! And then came the realization that this was _Natsu_ of all people, and he never gave her an inkling to express any interest in her appearance in the past before, yet now she made a fuss over her it now.

Lucy did her best to ignore the voice in her head that questioned _why_ the pyro-maniac's opinion mattered, opting instead to busy herself around the kitchen, making as much noise while delegating to complete the task of making food for both of them- because knowing him, it would be the first thing he would ask for, the brute. A glance out to her living room revealed that her guest had settled comfortably upon her couch, strangely silent given his earlier jovial mannerism.

 _Weird..._

Pausing, Lucy set aside the meal she had prepared and was about ready to excuse herself to busy herself with the necessity of daily cleansing, murmuring a quick excuse to escape towards the bathroom. The hallway was a few steps away, and she nearly crossed over the threshold to the hallway leading towards her bathroom, when a warm hand clasped her fluttering wrist, completely halting her movements.

"Lucy."

They stood there frozen, no words were spoken between them for what seemed like an impossibly long time. The significance of time lost its meaning- only his hand, so warm and firm and real, anchored her to the present. Her lamentation, the woe of what could have been and the misgiving of words unsaid left a weight on her. Her sharp inhale finally broke the barrier of silence, the resounding hiccup that paired with the well of tears that were summoned without her permission. It was strange that this occurred, how the effort to suppress her sorrow brought such an overwhelming strain on her. Tiny whimpers shook her to the point that she almost believed her entire frame would shatter by just the sheer presence of her grief.

Natsu still didn't let go of her.

Instead he moved closer, slowly circling his arms around, giving her plenty of time to push away and reject the comfort he wanted to give. She didn't move away, whether by the default of grief or that she didn't realize her friend was consoling her, Lucy did not shun the warmth that emanated in Natsu's embrace; instead she leaned into the comfort that he readily offered while the struggle to remain silent warred within her. It amazed Lucy with how compassionate he could be (much to her chagrin), though she never would have thought to be on the receiving end of such rare sentimentality. Not that he was lacking in sensitivity (despite his frequent break-in's into her apartment), just that from her view point, his wealth of sympathy appeared to be, well, _lacking,_ for a better word.

The keening noises muffled against his chest caused his arms to tighten in degree, pressing her body firmly against his chest to the point that she felt secure, yet did not feel suffocated by the stifling closeness. He felt the flutter of her eyelashes tickle the open space uncovered by his vest, and the hot tears that leaked along with it. It made his jaw clench, an automatic response that demanded the flame mage to _fight_ , yet even he knew that grief was a battle that could never be fought by means of force alone.

Natsu, for all his short-comings in detecting a change in social atmosphere, could still sense when someone was sad. It wasn't so much as a visual queue, (though it was the immediate factor) rather, it was the taint that caused his nose to twitch. Each emotion held a varying scent, depending upon what degree of emotion a person felt, and for Natsu, sadness held a tang of salt and an underlining _something_ that couldn't be placed, yet he could distinguish the flavor without a problem.

The fact that it mingled with her scent made him want to growl. By an exerted will, he suppressed the urge and continued to hold the girl in his arms, offering incoherent murmurs when the occasional hiccup shook her. His thumb traced up and down the ridge of her spine in soft caress, where he eventually began to rock her back and forth in a gentle rhythm all of his own.

And somehow each breath that shuddered out slowly calmed, though she felt tired and the ache in her heart remained hollow and dull in her chest; still, Natsu kept her tucked in his embrace, and the feeling of safety never felt more right to Lucy than it did now. She was a mess, disheveled and feeling far worse for wear, yet standing in her living room in nothing but her evening attire, Lucy felt for a moment that tomorrow would hold a brighter possibility.

There was a catch in her throat, an attempt to articulate what lay within her heart, yet she found, for all her literary genius, only a simple phrase seemed to be appropriate for the situation she found herself in. Leaning away just enough to level her gaze with his own, lips parted, their chapped state giving her pause to slick the petals with a quick swipe of her tongue, before opening again.

"Thank you."

She cringed inwardly, compared to what she wanted to say her words felt completely void of that _something_ that would convey what more she felt- the phrase 'thank you' seemed utterly lacking-

"No problem Lucy."

He smiled, wide and sharp and just _Natsu_ and then it seemed her words were able to project what she felt, and that was enough, because then she smiled too, and the infection of his natural jovial integrated into her heart. It didn't chase away the sorrow anymore than crying did, but it made it easier knowing that she could smile again.

That simple act alone made it possible to believe again.


End file.
